


The Starry Night Saga - Book 01

by DarkRoseTales



Series: The Starry Night Saga [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 12:41:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20192458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkRoseTales/pseuds/DarkRoseTales
Summary: First book in The Starry Night Saga - 9th Doctor/OC (Friendship) - What if the Doctor found someone else in the shop? What is it about Astra Nyx that draws him to want to protect her? And why does she feel so familiar? When they end up travelling together what will they discover? What secrets will be uncovered? Goes through all the episodes from Season 1. (In-Progress)





	The Starry Night Saga - Book 01

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Doctor Who or any other fandoms mentioned. I only own my character Astra Nyx.
> 
> Welcome to the first book in my The Starry Night Saga featuring my original character Astra Nyx. Each episode will be one chapter and each season one book.
> 
> Authors Notes:  
I write for my own amusement and hold no set schedule for it, because of this I can’t guarantee when the next chapter will be up. Everything written is by me with no help from a beta so any mistakes are my own.
> 
> The actress I see playing Astra in this story is Kristin Kreuk.  
This story will not include Rose.
> 
> ~*8*~ Scene Break
> 
> Italics Thought/Memories

Astra

<https://darkrosetales.tumblr.com/post/186912390238/first-book-for-the-starry-night-saga-has-started>

Astra pulled the last of her moving boxes from out of the back of the rental van. Kicking it closed she paused for a moment. Simply, taking in, the sight of her new three-storey town-house. The disbelief had mostly disappeared by this point but a hint still lingered in the back of her mind. She had finally done it. She finally had a home.

<https://darkrosetales.tumblr.com/post/186912478468/astras-house-part-1>

<https://darkrosetales.tumblr.com/post/186912499108/astras-house-part-2>

She had learnt from an early age to accept her lot in life, to go with the flow. Rolling with the punches hadn’t always been the easiest though. She had grown up in an orphanage in a poorer part of London. She had grown used to having very little to her name and very little in terms of privacy, often sharing a room with three or four other kids at a time.

Her time there had shaped her into the woman she was today so no matter how difficult a time it had been she knew she was lucky. She had a strong work ethic which grew from her desire to have the kind of life that had been denied her growing up. Nothing had ever been handed to her on a silver platter. She was proud to say she had earned everything she owed. Nevertheless, she appreciated what she had and refused to take anything for granted, life was far too short to not make the most of everything.

When she was young, she had read anything and everything she could get her hands on. She couldn’t remember what sparked the idea originally but she believed that knowledge was the key to achieving anything you set your mind to. So the more you knew the more successful you could be. This mentality meant that from a young age she had preferred the company of books over the company of people.

Just before she had hit her teenage years, the orphanage matriarch, concerned over her continued preference for books over people, had taken her to see a doctor. The doctor had been unable to help and had sent her onto a neurologist/psychologist to see if it had anything to do with her mental state or brain chemistry. They had eventually diagnosed that she had something of an eidetic memory tailored towards the written word.

Although there was no name for it at the time she wasn’t quite sure that that was correct. In more recent years they discovered a condition called Hyperthymesia. She deduced that this condition seemed more suited to the way her mind worked but even that seemed to fall slightly short.

Her mind didn’t just remember, it made connections, they seemed obvious to her but seemed obscure to others. When people only saw an option or two she saw a third or fourth. She could see the pattern in chaos and spotted things that were often overlooked. It accepted the obscure and adored the extraordinary. But, most of all, it didn’t rationalise or compartmentalise.

At the time, she had seen no need to label it, it wasn’t causing any harm to anyone and could only be beneficial for her future. So after exhausting the reading material within the orphanage, and on the doctor’s recommendation, the matriarch had asked one of the volunteers to take her once a week to the local library to replenish her reading stock.

The other kids in the orphanage had been put off by her intelligence but it never bothered her. The stimulation she gained from books far surpassed anything she had ever gained from human companionship. It hadn’t been till she started college that she had gained an appreciation and a desire for that kind of connection. By then she had long forgotten how to even start a conversation let alone develop a friendship with someone.

During her last year of secondary school, the teachers and the school librarian had all banded together to help her get as far as she could with her education. They had researched and made some inquiries about scholarships for her, and then helped her make the best out of the application provided. She caught the attention of one of the best scholarships out there; it was one that was given to students who had the potential to go far. It paid for her tuition in full, provided fully furnished student accommodation in the form of a house share, along with an annual monetary sum that would pay for any necessities including food and school supplies.

That particular house share was one often set aside for anyone getting through on academic scholarships. It meant more like minded individuals sharing the same space to offer the best experience without distractions. She studied hard for two years and gained four A-levels in computer science, physics, psychology, mathematics and further mathematics.

Towards the end of her college experience and with the help of the colleges advisors she had gone onto apply for a further scholarship. Due to her achievements she was offered a grant for six years fully funded in university where she studied for two degrees in computer science and mechanical engineering.

During her time there she had been put into a dorm room, there had been very few who had been as studious as she was. The majority wanted what they classed as a more ‘traditional’ university experience where they could drink whatever they wanted and party whenever they wanted.

Now don’t get her wrong she had no problem with that, people go to college and university for different things. But, she refused to be kept awake until five in the morning because some of them genuinely didn’t care about failing; she also didn’t particularly like the fact that in order to get any studying done at all she often had to relocate to the library, just to be able to concentrate without the constant and excessive noise.

She had had her fair share of disagreement but after several failed arguments that yielded zero results she had started to be more proactive. She had been teaching herself how to hack during her spare time so decided to kill two birds with one stone. She could test out her new skills and get the others to either take it elsewhere or keep it to a reasonable time.

Hacking into the campus security system, she had taken screenshots of the main offenders and sent them anonymously, to everyone including their teachers. She had sent a false overload signal into the electrical system forcing it to shut off and had amused herself by watching them try to explain to the maintenance people how they had managed to overload the system at three in the morning. It had taken them a ridiculous amount of time to work out who was behind it all but in the end her point had been made.

The rest of her time had passed in relative peace. She had studied hard and graduated a month ago with her two degrees. The funds remaining from her scholarship combined with the earnings she gained from working as much as she could at the campus coffee-slash-book shop, meant she had a tidy sum stored away that she had managed to grow exponentially due to a combination of good interest rates and great investments.

That had been an interesting endeavour. She had wanted some advice on investments, so that she could grow her money, and had sought the advice of an accountant. The accountant had been quite shocked by her choice in investments, choosing some of the newer and more up and coming companies. Having initially tried to warn her against her choices, he had changed his tune a few months down the line when after initial losses the companies had boomed unexpectedly.

He had asked her what had made her choose the way she did and was quite shocked when she had admitted nothing more than a gut feeling. Nevertheless, after the second and third success he had quickly followed her example with his own money no more questions asked. In exchange for the money he made from her choices he offered his services for free as compensation, so it was a win all round.

Even buying this house near the centre of London, having it remodelled the way she wanted and having it fully furnished hadn’t made too much of a dent. She had a sizeable income from her investments every month which meant her money continued to grow and she probably never had to work again.

However, that wasn’t in her nature. She had worked full time for the weekend and a rotating weekday during her time in college/university and full-time every day she had outside of term time. After graduating she knew she couldn’t keep her job at the coffee shop because those jobs where reserved for students. So, she had a choice of holding out for the perfect job, which she wasn’t sure existed, or finding work elsewhere. Needless to say she had applied and had been accepted for the job as assistant manager at Henriks department store in Central London.

This job would earn her enough money to cover her expenses while her other money continued to grow. While also giving her the time, taken away from work paid or unpaid in order to indulge her ambitions to travel. The job itself would help her develop her leadership and social skills with people beyond the academic arena.

Travel had always been something she wanted to do. The world contained so many wonders, to see and experience that it was enough to make her salivate. The world was vast and ever-changing, she knew she could spend her entire life travelling and never see everything there was to see out there. The idea of completely immersing herself in the community and culture of a place was a fascinating concept to consider. Learning the history and beliefs directly from the people it affected. She wanted to take risks, to explore and discover. She wanted to cheer for her victories and weep for her losses.

Having the money, she had considered going straight for it. Really there was nothing stopping her but there was that gut feeling again. The unexplainable feeling of anticipation, lingering in the pit of her stomach, that told her that this was exactly where she needed to be. She had never doubted her gut before and her faith had been rewarded, so she wasn’t about to start now.

Her new job was due to start in a couple of weeks and she was excited. She could feel something coming, she didn’t know what it was or when it would get her but she knew she couldn’t wait. First though, she had to get the last of her boxes inside and get the van back to the rental place in return for her car.

~*8 months later*~

Astra jolted awake as her phone buzzed with a quiet tone across the hard wood floor. Blearily she woke, reached down; she hit the button turning off her alarm. Sitting up, she stretched and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes she looked around the top floor of her house.

With an air of excitement, she had transformed it into her own open plan, personal library-slash-office. The addition of the balcony area she currently occupied had been an idea given to her by the joiner who helped design and fit the entire top floor.

‘I’ve met people like you before. You get lost in whatever you’re doing. It might be best if you set up a place to sleep in here as well’

Taking the idea and running with it, she had put a futon on the balcony area and had a small bathroom built in one corner containing a simple toilet and sink so she didn’t have to constantly go downstairs. Eventually, she had also added a small fridge/freezer that she kept filled with various drinks and snacks, along with some ice cream in case the occasion called for it. She also added a coffee machine; she felt no shame in admitting her addiction to the caffeinated beverage.

This floor was a place she didn't think she would ever get tired of. She adored it so much that she spent more than half of her nights nestled up here until she drifted over to the futon to sleep. The scent of books filled her nose; it was so relaxing and peaceful. Right now however, wasn’t the time to lose herself in her book shelves like she had the night before. It was time to get up and set herself up for a good day at work.

Stifling a yawn she stumbled slightly down the stairs before she headed over to her computer table that was directly under the balcony. Checking her emails and the monitoring programme for her investments, she absently noted that there was nothing that needed her immediate attention, she shut it down.

Gracelessly she stood from her chair and headed for the stairs. She blindly made her way down the two flights of stairs for her kitchen. Hitting the automatic setting on her coffee machine she slumped down in a seat on her breakfast bar as she waited for the beep that would give her the jolt she needed to properly start her morning.

A gentle three beep tone filled the room jolting her out of her dreamy state. She blinked and reached over for her coffee. Once the first taste of caffeine hit her system her eyes cleared and her vision came into focus. She sighed taking a moment to enjoy the divine smell of her freshly brewed coffee.

Habitually, she looked over at the clock, noting it was quarter past six she started to look around for something productive to do to fully awaken her sleepy mind. Looking through the cupboards, she pulled out various ingredients until she had everything she needed to make blueberry muffins with a cream cheese frosting.

Mixing up a quick batter she evenly distributed it into a case lined tin and put it into the oven to bake. Grabbing a banana, she sat back at the breakfast bar relaxed as she waited for the muffins to cook, enjoying her coffee and fruit.

Swallowing the last gulp of coffee, she checked her muffins were fully baked before she pulled them out and laid them out onto a cooling rack. Depositing the washing up in the sink for later she left the muffins to cool and headed up the stairs to her bathroom for a quick shower.

~*8*~

Finishing her shower, she brushed her teeth before heading across the hall to her bedroom to pick her outfit for the day. She had a lot of clothes. Four double door built-in wardrobes with a fifth one reserved just for her shoes. She had organised each wardrobe to match a season.

Autumn, filled with thin jumpers and long sleeved tops. Long skirts and dresses with a few pair of jeans.

Winter, was full of thick woolly jumpers and polo necks. Thermal clothing and thick warm coats. Scarves, hats and gloves in several colours and long pants.

Spring, contained long maxi dressed and loose shawls, light cardigans and three-quarter pants.

Summer, held her shorter dresses skirts and shorts. Vest tops in different colours and styles along with several beach outfits and swimwear.

You could never tell what you were going to get in London so she often checked weather reports in the morning and planned her outfit accordingly. Today claimed to be a mild day, sun out covered by a cloudy sky. So she chose something from her Autumn wardrobe. She pulled on a white vest top followed by a black and white stripy, loose knit jumper. A pair of faded, blue-grey, boot-cut jeans and some worn, brown leather, strappy ankle boots finished the look.

Blow-drying her hair into its natural loose waves, she added some mascara and eye-liner to highlight her pale green eyes along with a touch of lip balm. She pulled her Claddagh locket over her head and safely tucked it under her jumper. She didn’t know why but she never felt comfortable if she didn’t have this particular locket with her at all times, it was either on her or in her bag. She gave herself a once over in the mirrored door of her wardrobe before deeming herself ready.

~*8*~

Bouncing down the last few steps, she swung herself round the wall separating the stairs from her open-plan living room kitchen area. Taking a deep breath she enjoyed the smell of freshly baked muffins and coffee that lingered in the air as she headed for her kitchen. She checked her muffins had fully cooled before whipping together a quick cream cheese frosting. Piping a liberal amount onto each muffin and topping with a fresh blueberry, she then put them into a disposable box ready to take into work with her.

Leaving one out for herself she put the box into one of her many canvas tote bags. She grabbed her brown satchel bag and swung it over her head so it sat comfortably across her shoulder. Pulling down the wrapper she took a bite as she set about making herself an indulgent cappuccino. Her first coffee of the day was usually just a plain coffee with milk, made to perk her up first thing in the morning. Her second was always a sweet and decadent caramel cappuccino that she savoured as she headed into work.

Grabbing her coffee filled, purple travel mug she grabbed her muffin filled bag and headed for the front door. Unlocking the door with the keys she had left in the night before she headed for her car. She set everything on the passenger seat, double checked she had everything she needed before going back to lock up.

Settling herself behind the steering wheel in her little purple mini she checked all her mirrors before she reversed out of her drive and set off to work.

~*8*~

Pulling into the narrow alley that connected to the main road where her work was. She pulled in as close to the side as she dared behind some metal dustbins. She had become pretty well known to the owners of the coffee shop they belonged to, as she often frequented the place several times a day. Due to this she had made a deal where she could park there under direct view of their security cameras. They had been just happy to let her do it but she had insisted on at least paying them something, after all it was a lot cheaper than parking anywhere else in London. It also saved her from having to endure the horror that was the one-way system the centre of London was turning into.

Grabbing the bags from her passenger seat she left her car, a beep echoing slightly behind her as her car locked. She hit the end of the alley and waved through the coffee shop window to the owner before she crossed the road and headed into her work.

Stepping through the automatic doors she greeted the security guard who had opened them for her. Pulling her box of muffins out of her bag she smiled as she saw the look of excitement that lit up the man's face. Lifting the lid to reveal the baked goods inside a look of great concentration stole over his face as if this was going to be the greatest decision he would ever make. With wiggling fingers he made a show of great debate before finally settling on his muffin of choice.

Astra couldn't help but laugh when he released a borderline indecent moan of delight after his first bite. Releasing a hum of delight he spoke “Gorgeous as always Az”. He gave her a wink as she smiled and said “Why thank you” then headed off towards the staff room.

It had become a bit of a habit of hers. She worked full-time six days a week, Monday to Saturday then Sunday was her day off. Every Saturday she brought in something sweet for the weekend staff to enjoy. She liked doing it, she found the baking itself relaxing and the pleasure others seemed to get from eating them always made her happy.

Entering through the staff only door she went straight for the refreshments area and switched on the water heater and set up the coffee machine to brew. She hit the switch for the water cooler and grabbed a tray off the worktop nearby. Putting it on the top near the hot drinks she lay all but one of her muffins out onto the tray ready for everyone to take at their leisure.

Her manager walked in just as she finished setting up and grabbed his cup to pour himself some coffee. Grabbing one of her muffins he turned and leaned against the counter before he spoke “Good morning Astra”

“Morning” she greeted with a smile and she poured her own cup of coffee.

Looking a little uncomfortable he hesitantly said “I need a favour from you” seeing her encouraging look he continued “Normally I would have given you more warning but I only got word this morning. Can you stay later and lock up for me? I have to leave after lunch to take my daughter to an emergency doctor’s appointment”

“It’s no problem” Astra reassured the man before a frown of concern stole across her face “nothing serious I hope”

“We just think she needs her tonsils removed” he answered with a thankful smile.

“Well if that's the case tell her I see lots of ice cream in her future” she responded in an airy voice before flashing him a smile.

He gave a slight laugh before asking “Do you want to take the extra two hours off this morning or just add them onto your pay?”

“Pays fine” she said with a smile “I’ll want an extra break in the afternoon for a coffee but beyond that I should be fine” and it would be, her normal hours where eight till six so an extra two hours wouldn’t be too much trouble especially given tomorrow was her day off.

“Thank you” her manager said before he took a bite of her muffin. He raised his muffin to her in a mock-toast and gave a muffled “Very nice” before leaving the room.

Quickly finishing up in the staff room she went over to the sales desk and neatened everything out from the night before. Logging into the till she answered any internet queries she could or forwarded them to the relevant departments. When the clock struck eight, she gave the signal to the security guard to unlock the doors from her position at the till, where she would spend the first part of her morning.

~*8*~

Most of her morning was spent at the sales desk, answering phone calls and internet queries as they came in. Occasionally she worked the till to cover peoples breaks or helping customers find whatever they were looking for. She had only stopped once to get a coffee from across the street and she was counting down the minutes until it hit one o’clock and she could go for her lunch.

The minutes dragged but the clock finally clicked over. With a quick ‘be back soon’ to the other girls on the tills she left the shop and went back across the street. She loved this little cafe, it was a small family owned business that as well as serving coffee, sold freshly made food. She ordered a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese and a small slice of carrot cake to go with her coffee. Sitting in one of the comfy chairs near the window, she watched the mad rush of people that hurried by. Her attention returned to the table as the barista brought over her food and drink. With a polite “Thanks” she reached into her bag and pulled out her current book of choice. It was called Storm Front by Jim Butcher and it was the first in the Dresden Files.

Her phone buzzed letting her know she had ten minute left on her lunch. Quickly she swallowed the last of her coffee and put her book back into her bag. Grabbing the plate and cup, she placed them on the counter to save the waitress a job, waved to the owner and returned to work.

The afternoon she spent in the back offices, taking over from her manager, who after a further bout of gratitude left to take care of his daughter. As well as overseeing the administrative assistants and the accountants as they organised all the paperwork they would need for the upcoming tax season. She played gopher, getting them whatever they needed from refreshments to stationary. Knowing she had some knowledge of mathematics they also got her working on the estimated averages for sales and purchasing.

At four o’clock, she headed back across the road for her last coffee of the day before the place closed at half past. Upon getting back, she split her time between the offices and the shop floor, helping to set up the window displays or putting things back where they belonged from the changing rooms.

The time dragged on and it had been an extremely long day, so by the time quarter to eight hit she could have cheered. Relieved and tired she hit the button on the announcement system and said “This is a customer announcement. The store will be closing in fifteen minutes. Thank you” She couldn't wait to head home, her plans for the night included a take away pizza and a bottle of fizzy wine she had chilling away in her fridge.

She locked the door behind everyone at five past eight and pressed the code in for the preset alarm. This gave her ten minutes to get everything needed before the alarm actually activated. She removed all the money and receipts from the till and locked them up in the manager’s office before heading to the staff room. Pouring the last of the hot coffee into a mug for the Chief Electrician. She grabbed her bag and the box containing the last of her muffins before heading over to the elevator. She always did this whenever she was asked to lock up, she knew Wilson preferred to work during the night when everything was a bit quieter and not wanting the man to think he was forgotten she always took down something from whatever snacks where available that day and any coffee that was left.

Stepping inside she pressed the basement level button and shifted uncomfortably as the doors closed her in before it began its descent.

~*8*~

“Wilson” she called out when the doors finally opened. The man very rarely stayed in his office if he could help it so she was more likely to find somewhere else. Stepping out of the lift, she suppressed a shiver as she noticed the darker than normal room. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck prickle ominously.

“Wilson” she called out again trying to ignore the ominous atmosphere that felt like it was pressing down on her like a physical weight the longer she was down there. It’s just your imagination, Astra. There is nothing to be afraid of.

She hated coming down to the basement. She didn’t even like it normally when it was fully lit. There was just something about the room that she despised even beyond the scope of her own irrational fear. It was an open space so theoretically it shouldn’t trigger her anxiety but it was just do packed full of boxes and other things that it felt suffocating.

Taking a deep breath she walked towards the man's office, if she couldn’t find the man she could leave the stuff in his office for him to find later and then get out of here. It seemed a bit daft coming down here semi-regularly when she knew the affect it had on her but she felt like she needed to face her fears. By coming down here she was facing her fears and even though it scared her every single time, she was slowly getting used to it. At least she had thought until she came down today.

Ignoring the yellow warning signs that laced the heavy duty door that played entrance to Wilson's office she knocked quickly will a call of “Wilson, Are you there?” then tried the handle. The door was locked. That was unusual, even while he was elsewhere the door to his office was usually open.

Frowning she looked around, the feeling of foreboding began to rise within. She put the coffee and muffin on the nearby shelf and headed deeper into the basement. It didn’t matter how uncomfortable she currently was she wanted to try and find the man. She jumped and spun around when the clatter of falling hangers reached her ears.

Taking a deep breath and keeping an eye on her surroundings Astra slowly crept towards the area. Hesitantly she spoke “Hello” She did not like this at all, it’s probably my already stretched nerves she thought to herself but something does not feel right about the basement today.

Walking through the doorway, she leaned over to the side and hit the light switch illuminating the rest of the room. For all intent and purpose it looked exactly as it always did but for some reason that did nothing to settle her nerves. She hesitated; this was the last part of the basement you had to walk through before you hit the corridor that led to the emergency lift that would take you to the exit. But, she still hadn’t found Wilson and she really did want to find out if he was OK. She walked down the corridor slowly, the shop window dummies that lined the wall felt even more disturbing than normal.

Ignoring their blank stares as they seemed to follow her, she hurried her steps, looking down between the ceiling high piles of boxes. She began to chew on her lip as her anxiety started to get the better of her, when the door she had just walked through slammed shut.

Spinning around with a yelp of surprise and her heart feeling as though it were about to jump right through her chest. She cast a quick look around, trying desperately to find the source of her unease anything that could explain the fact she suddenly seemed to have entered a place straight out of a horror movie.

The sound of falling hangers once more clattered in the distance the sound echoing as her head whipped around to face the direction it came from. She swallowed before she moved as quickly as she could without running in the direction of the lift that would get her out of here. She could just ring Wilson on his mobile, he always had that with him.

In her hurry to escape, she failed to notice when one of the dummies she had just passed turned its head to follow after her. The dummy in question seemed to jerk slightly before it took a slow step forward and off the rails that held him. It stumbled, as it adapted to its new ability to walk, before it slowly followed after her. Gradually it was joined by another, and then another.

As the last door appeared in sight the hairs on the back of her neck prickled dangerously and a strange squeaking sound could be heard. She paused cursing her own curiosity as she slowly turned to face back the way she came. She released a gasp in shock as she saw a fourth dummy joining the herd who were gaining speed. Seeing the other dummies that lined the wall begin to twitch as they came awake she spun around and ran for it.

Barely making a few feet she was drawn to an abrupt halt when another couple of dummies stepped out from behind a pile of boxes and cut off her escape. Staggering to a stop she pressed herself back against a pipe covered wall and frantically looked around for some way to escape.

Surrounded from all sides and with no way of escape she closed her eyes. She did not want to see whatever was about to happen. The dummy at the front of the heard raised it arm high above its head ready to bring it down upon her when her eyes sprang open with a gasp and she looked to her left.

Her mind automatically registered everything she saw in a mere moment as she locked eyes with the man that had just taken her hand. He was a very calm man with crystal blue eyes that showed a variety of contradictory emotions but over all there was something hauntingly kind about this man. He had short black hair with a rather prominent nose and ears. He was dressed mostly in black with a leather jacket and slightly worn jeans tucked into some doc martin boots, his dark red jumper not giving much in the way of contrast. Her focus was brought back by the simple order that fell from the man's lips.

“Run” he ordered as he used the hand he held to forcefully pull her through the herd of dummies.

The lead dummy brought its arm crashing down, just barely missing her as she was pulled away. Its arm continued its path and smashed through the pipes that lined the wall, releasing a sharp burst of steam that held enough force to make them stumble back. The lead dummy regained its balance and led the others as it gave chase.

~*8*~

The pair ran and slammed through the heavy duty doors, as they raced for the lift that would get them out of there. The dummies where quick to follow, climbing over any of their brethren who fell in the chaos. The man pointed a small silver tube towards the lift, he pressed the button and the blue tip lit up releasing a high pitched buzz. A grinding sound could be heard before the lift door slowly opened ready for their entrance.

The man ducked to the side and began rapidly using his device on the control panel trying to get the door to close quicker. He succeeded for the most part but just before the doors could close on the last few inches the lead dummy lunged forward forcing his arm through the gap just missing Astra who threw herself towards the back of the enclosed space that suddenly felt a lot safer than normal.

Grabbing the arm the man tugged as hard as he could and after one particularly vicious tug he managed to pull the arm from the body and into the lift with them allowing the doors to close. He looked at the arm for a moment before putting it down near the button panel. He sighed before he turned to look at the woman he had saved.

Opening his mouth to say something, his eyes caught hers and time seemed to stop. His entire being filled with a warmth of familiarity that seemed to resonate between them. A sense of peace fell over them as they both stood there with their gazes locked together. A calmness that he hadn’t felt in decades infused every cell in his body and the foreign feeling of contentment and happiness cemented itself within his mind.

For Astra it felt slightly different. There was the peace and calmness but that was offset by a niggling sensation in the back of her mind. She was sure she had never met this man but the sense of familiarity she felt couldn't be denied. It was like trying to recall a long forgotten memory that was trying desperately to break through but for whatever reason just couldn’t seem to succeed. One thing that registered equally was the nagging feeling of anticipation that had been plaguing her for the last eight months had dissipated and instead was replaced with a delicious flood of adrenalin.

They flinched, breaking through there intense stare when the lift jolted as it hit something in its descent. The man cleared his throat uncomfortably and spun to face at the front of the lift.

Taking a deep breath, Astra rubbed her arms trying to get rid of the chill that had developed there. “Thanks” she said to the man that was very adamantly staring forwards with a clenched door as he tried to understand the sudden influx of emotions he was feeling.

“You’re welcome” he said uncomfortably, throwing her a small but no less sincere smile. Who was this girl? What was it about her that was so familiar? And most importantly why was it so hard to resist taking her hand.

The silence spread between them for a moment before Astra swallowed and then spoke again “So, I’m guessing the fact that you could pull its arm off like that means that this isn’t just some very elaborate prank”

“A Prank?” the man asked sounding distracted as he retained his intense focus on the door in front of him.

“Yeah. Like getting a bunch of people to dress up like the dummies in order to scare someone” Astra shrugged “Not very entertaining in my opinion but it works for some peoples sense of humour”

“No. Not a prank” the man frowned as he looked at the girl out of the corner of his eye “It’s plastic”

After a moments pause, to see if he was going to give her anything else, she smirked and said “Yeh, I gathered that much thanks” he voice thick with sarcasm before her face fell slightly as she commented “I’m personally a bit more concerned with what has happened to Wilson” she shifted slightly as the guilt filled her realising she hadn’t succeeded in finding the man before she had fled the basement.

“Who’s Wilson?” the man asked concerned with the look of guilt the girl wore. He had been keeping an eye on the basement due to the high concentration of plastic and she had been the only person he had crossed paths with.

“Chief Electrician” she answered as she wrapped her arms around herself in a sort of self-hug. Rubbing her arms she tried to get rid of the cold in her bones as she finished “He prefers working at night”

“Wilson’s dead” the man stated certainly.

She looked at him in shock before closing her eyes in grief. He couldn’t resist reaching out to her in comfort; with a sympathetic look on his face he put an arm around her shoulders. He gave her a reassuring squeeze before letting go. He couldn't remember the last time he had wanted to comfort someone.

Reaching inside his jacket he pulled out the silver tube device just as the lift came to a stop and the doors opened. He passed the dummies arm over to Astra before they quickly left the lift. The man turned to the control panel and threw a quick “Mind you eyes” over his shoulder to Astra before he quickly pressed the button on his device the panel sparked violently. The doors stopped closing and the sound of groaning metal could be heard as the lift dimmed and all the electrics stopped working.

Grabbing Astra by the hand he led her down the corridor towards the emergency exit. The quick movement snapped Astra out of her guilt filled thoughts as she had to jog in order to keep up with the man's long strides. Looking down at the arm she carried she couldn’t see any wires or anything but she couldn’t help but ask “Are they like robots? Like remote control somehow even though I can’t see any wires or anything. Unless it’s some kind of new technology that hasn’t been released to the public yet. Do you know who’s controlling them? Do you know why?”

The man smiled fondly at the girls ramble of questions and facts. He couldn’t help but remember a young girl he knew once upon a time. She used to do the exact same thing. When something sparked her curiosity she questioned it until she knew practically everything about it. Lost in fond memories of times long past and with an ache in his hearts he answered her softly “They’re made of Plastic. Living plastic creatures called Autons” he started “They’re being controlled by a relay device on the roof which would be a great big problem if I didn’t have this” he said cheerfully pulling a small bomb from somewhere inside his jacket even though it couldn’t possibly have fit in any of his pockets “So I’m going to go up there and blow it up. But don’t worry about me. No, you just go home” he said as they reached the fire escape and he opened the door for her to pass through “Go home and enjoy your beans on toast. Don’t tell anyone about this or you’ll get them killed” he finished but before he could close the door Astra spoke up.

“Wait. I can’t just leave you here to do it alone” she exclaimed. Worry filled her system, she didn’t know this man but the idea of leaving him here alone to do something so dangerous didn’t sit well with her.

There was a timer on the bomb. The digital screen was set within blocks of C4 above a keypad taken from a mobile phone. The timer read 1 minute 3 seconds, which was nowhere near enough time for him to get to the roof, set the bomb and then get away before it blew up.

The man smiled softly at the girl. His eyes held a fondness as he saw her obvious concern and tried to reassure her “Like I said. Don’t worry about me” he said before he closed the door.

Astra stood there for a moment debating whether or not to try and get back inside the building. If he was going to the roof he would get there well before her and there was no guarantee that she could get up there before he blew it up. As she stood there biting her lip trying to come to a decision, the door was flung open and the man poked his head through the gap.

“I’m the Doctor by the way” the man introduced with a grin “What's your name?”

A soft smile flitted across her lips as she said “Astra. Astra Nyx” she answered as her mind came to a decision. She was worried but she had to trust the Doctor knew what he was doing and that he was being honest with her when he said he would be fine.

The Doctor froze when he heard her name and stared at her intently. His mind drawing parallel after parallel to the girl who stood in front of him. Her name, her curiosity and sarcasm. Her innate kindness and thirst for knowledge. Shaking his head quickly, it was just a coincidence. It wasn’t her, he knew that. She had died a very long time ago. Forcing a smile onto his face seeing the worry that coloured her expression he said through a tight throat “Nice to meet you Astra Nyx” shaking the bomb in his hand that now read 43 seconds he practically cheered “Run for your life”

The door slammed shut with a clang and Astra reluctantly turned and headed down the alley to get to the main road towards her car.

~*8*~

Astra ran down the side street from the back of the store. As she hit the main road her mental countdown reached 30 seconds. Slowly she crossed the road, cautiously eyeing the window displays as all the plastic dummies that lined the high streets shop windows suddenly stood out in sharp focus. Her normal ignorance of their presence beyond knowing they were there seemed like such a foolish state of mind with the new knowledge she’d acquired. Jogging across the road she paused and turned back to look at the building she had just left as her mental countdown hit 10 seconds.

She stood waiting impatiently for the unknown something to happen.

9

She didn’t know what to expect, she hadn’t ever seem a bomb in real life before

8

She didn’t know enough about the mechanics of such a device to determine how it would react.

7

Was it going to just collapse the building?

6

Or would it be more of a fiery bang?

5

The street was relatively empty, that was good.

4

Not many people around who could get hurt.

3

Did she have time to clear out the people that were there?

2

She didn’t think so. People usually required more than just words.

1

They would not listen to one random woman who told them too.

KABOOM!

Astra flinched . The sound echoed through the night. An enormous fire ball emerged from the roof and engulfed the top three floors. The power shattered all the windows in the surrounding buildings and cracks formed in the walls. A shower of glass and stone rained down forcing everyone to duck and run for cover. They tried to hide behind cars and pressed themselves into buildings to avoid the falling debris.

Stumbling backwards she wrenched her gaze away from the destruction and headed over to her car. Rubbing her arms, she paused when something unusual caught her attention. In the same alley she had parked in near enough every day for the last few months stood a 1950’s police public call box.

Stepping closer she was surprised that she wasn’t even questioning how it had gotten there in the first place, she was just accepting that it had. Placing her hand on the corner of the box she rubbed it slightly as she looked it over in wonder. The same feeling of familiarity she had gotten from the Doctor filled her as the worry for the man that was plaguing her mind receded. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did. The Doctor truly was alright.

She smiled slightly before dropping her hand from the box and calmly made her way to her car. She smiled slightly as she got into her car, realising she still held the plastic arm she threw it into her back seats before starting her car. One thing for sure was she was going to get rid of that thing at the quickest convenience.

Slowly pulling out of the alley she could feel her stomach grumbling as the adrenaline of the night faded. The sound of her groaning stomach making her jump slightly, she huffed a laugh. She needed to go and get her Saturday night take away pizza before heading home to relax. That wine she had chilling was definitely something she would be indulging in tonight.

~*8*~

The Doctor, from within the police box, watched as Astra pulled out of the alleyway. He hoped they had been able to provide the girl with enough reassurance that he was alright that she wouldn’t keep worrying so much. He wasn’t stupid, he knew she had been debating whether to get back into the building herself to help him. He was only half glad she had chosen not to. She wouldn’t have reached him in time, but if she had he would have enjoyed remaining in her company for a bit longer.

He didn’t know why he thought this level of reassurance was needed but he had a feeling that the girl was the kind of person who would obsess over something until she saw it with her own eyes. He had no intention of searching out the girl again and hoped this would be enough to help.

A bright orange light flickered softly around him and a gentle hum filled the air. He looked up at the central column in front of him and asked with a slight smile “Why do I get the feeling your plotting?” Another hum later and the Doctor laughed slightly as hope gripped his hearts. He might not search out the girl on purpose but maybe, just maybe, they’d find each other again anyway.

Flicking a switch on the screen he saw the results of the scan he had run when she had touched the corner of the box. The genetic and psychic imprint absorbed would be enough to tell him the basics about her and at the very least confirm his theories.

“Completely human” he said with a frown. He knew it wasn’t possible but he’d just had to check. So lost in thought as he was, he didn’t notice the central column of light flicker again. Switching off the monitor he pressed another button which sent a signal to corrupt the security cameras nearby, wiping both the presence of himself and Astra from its databanks. Anyone looking would just assume it was damaged in the explosion.

Shaking his head to himself he sighed and started pressing buttons and pulling levers. Hearing the reassuring groan he sat down on the captains chair and grumbled to himself “I’m getting old”

~*8*~

Taking a sip of her wine before putting it down on her coffee table, Astra flopped onto her couch with a huff. Opening her pizza box and took a slice she hummed in appreciation as the sweet savoury taste of BBQ chicken pizza danced on her tongue. Chewing thoughtfully she reached over and grabbed the remote control to switch on the TV.

After a brief pause the screen flashed brightly before the BBC news started broadcasting. Live recordings of her workplace in the background, the flames still consuming the top while the fire fighters fought to extinguish the flames. The live broadcast was dim as the smoke filled the air, making everything muted. Flickers of lit embers and ash drifted across the screen almost serenely. A sharp contrast to the devastation in the background.

“The whole of Central London has been closed off as police investigate the fire. Early reports indicate...”

Whatever early reports indicated Astra did not care, she quickly flicked through the channels until settling on some reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She sighed as she snuggled deeper into her couch determined to try and relax and enjoy her night.

Without her permission, her thoughts drifted to the Doctor. Although if she was honest with herself, her thoughts hadn’t been far from the man since she left him. While it was true she felt a reassurance about the Doctor, which meant she wasn’t a complete wreck with worry, it didn’t change the fact that until she saw the man for herself, if that ever happened, she wouldn’t fully believe it.

She had never been one to rely on blind faith anyway. She fully believed in what she could see and experience herself. Any conclusions she came to about anything else was usually through extensive research. If the research seemed plausible then she accepted that but still kept an open mind because research could be proven wrong. History books she read with a certain level of scepticism because history was often written by the victor who was bias against the other side so while the actions might be somewhat accurate, the motive were speculative.

Quite contradictorily though it was, she did believe in Karma. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction was Newton’s third law in the scientific field, but, she believed it held a good moral standing as well. She did good in her life, worked hard and hoped to live a good life because of it. When people did bad things then they should get what they deserve. And, if those specific action happened to be directed at her, well she could get quite creative.

Trust the Doctor her mind whispered to her causing her to nod unconsciously. She did, unquestioningly trust the Doctor. It was baffling and completely uncharacteristic given she had known the man for nothing more than a few hours. But, the fact was undeniable. She trusted the Doctor and he said not to worry about him, so she wouldn’t.

Beside all of that, he seemed like a smart man. And didn’t seem like someone who wanted to die despite the gleam of sadness in his eyes. Surely he would have some kind of escape plan in place.

Huffing in exasperation she turned off the TV, grabbed her pizza and her wine, and headed toward the stairs. Her Library, that was always good for distractions. Maybe she could look up this living plastic stuff.  
~*8*~

The next morning Astra woke up a little later than normal at 8am. Stretching she sat up in bed threw off the covers and headed downstairs for a coffee. Pulling out the left-over pizza still in the box that she had stored in her oven she pondered over the night before.

Her research had proved distracting enough to be fair, but it had gone from trying to discover any new technologies that could explain the phenomenon she had experienced to the different uses in plastics in everything from medicine to engineering. Perhaps distracting was the wrong word, it had moved her worry for the Doctor to everyone else. There was just so much plastic used in everyday life that it was impossible to remove it without recreating practically everything people used daily.

Hearing the beep of her coffee machine she smiled as she reached for the steaming cup. Holding the cup in her hands as she munched on a slice of cold pizza she recalled some of the other events that had happened the night before.

Surprisingly, despite having no family and no one she could really call a friends she had received a few calls from her concerned co-worker. The ones that stood out were from the security guard who upon hearing about what happened had instantly called her to ensure her safety while simultaneously berating himself for leaving her there alone.

She reassured the man that she had been long gone from the shop when she heard the bang but hadn’t thought anything of it. After securing her promises to call if she needed anything they hung. Almost immediately she received a worried phone call from her manager who had left her to lock up.

Telling the man she hadn’t been able to find Wilson had been heartbreaking, telling him she had tried but having thought he was just somewhere else she had left the coffee and muffin in his office for him to find later, then left through the emergency exit. Having accepted her story with relief and thankfulness, he had reassured her that once everything had been fixed her job would be waiting for her, should she still want it, otherwise he was more than willing to provide her with a reference.

Releasing a sigh with a smile, it had been nice, having someone check on her. It wasn’t something she was used to. She hadn’t gotten to sleep until about 2am, the events of the night just ruminating in her brain until her body had given in to its need for sleep.

Looking around she decided she wanted something sweet, baking was always good for relaxing her mind so she methodically set about making her decadent triple choc-chip cookies.

~*8*~

Dressing in some grey yoga pants and a matching slack vest top left her hair loose to dry naturally after her shower. Sitting down to put on her little slip on grey trainers, Astra considered what she was going to do with her day.

I could use some of the CV’s I printed off earlier and head into the city to drop them around she though tot herself as she left her room and headed down stairs. She swung herself off the last step around into the living room when she paused.

Listening carefully she heard it again. A low scuffling sound. She cautiously reached out to the umbrella stand beside her door and grabbed her Harley Quinn Baseball bat replica and carefully hid it behind her leg before she flung the door open.

She huffed and the tenseness dropped from her shoulders as she spotted the Doctor crouched down in front of her door with his silver tube device out aimed at the area where her keyhole had just been. Clearly he was trying to break in but for some strange reason it didn’t bother her. It was actually quite amusing.

Looking up he shot her a sheepish grin as he spotted exactly who’s house he was trying to break into before standing up. Clearing his throat he rubbed the back of his neck and said “Er.. Hi”

Trying to keep the amusement from showing on her face she stood there silently, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. She stayed the way for a moment enjoying the fact he looked like a little boy who had been caught with his hand in a cookie jar before she allowed the relief and amusement to show through her eyes as her lips twitched.

Giggling slightly at the relief she saw on his face she said “Hi” he grinned in return as she stepped to the side and said “D’ya wanna come in?”

“Thanks” he said with a grin. He scuffed his boots slightly on the welcome mat before looking through the glass partition with curiosity.

Seeing his curiosity she waved him on with a quick “Do you want a drink?” as she headed to the kitchen to get herself a coffee.

“Tea Please” he said following her with his eyes as he stood in her living room “Just milk” he said.

He looked around the room and grinned. It was quirky and different and he loved it. It seemed to suit the woman who owned it perfectly. Pal purple walls accented with slightly darker tones of purple and grey. A TV topped the mantel that hovered over a holographic fire place covered by glass. A large deep purple U-shaped couch filled the majority of the room with a coffee table in the centre made of dark grey wood, contrasting the light grey wood floor beneath. Another glass partition separated the kitchen slightly from the living room and all he could see was the edge of the breakfast bar lined with stools and the small pink and black pool table that rested on a faux cow skin rug. It was cosy and interesting and he loved it.

He very quickly gave into temptation and started to root around the room. Picking up the news paper he flicked through the pages before he grimaced “Ugh depressing” he muttered to himself before tossing it aside.

“Was there a reason you were trying to break into my house?” Astra asked from the kitchen as she waited for the kettle to boil and her coffee to pour.

The Doctor smiled but refrained from answering. He hadn’t known it was her house but he couldn’t deny the fact that he was incredibly grateful that it had been. Spotting a multi-coloured cube on the mantle he stepped over and quickly started turning it.

“No that I’m not glad to see for myself that you are in fact alright” she stated as she put some of the cookies she had made earlier onto a small plate, walked them through to the living room and put them on the coffee table. Looking up she spotted him with the solved rubix cube in his hands that he was sheepishly putting down on the mantle. She smiled in amusement before heading back to the kitchen to finish what she was doing.

Spotting a thin long mirror on the wall he approached it and carefully examined his face not noticing Astra, watching from where she stood at the sink on the breakfast bar, curious why he seemed to be reacting like he had never seen his own face before. He flicked his ears and muttered to himself “Ah, could have been worse, Look at the ears” he grimaced as he tugged at the offending digits.

Astra shook her head and decided to think on it more later. She heard the coffee machine beep and the kettle click off one after the other. Taking a quick sip of her drink before pouring his she asked “Can you tell me anything more about what happened last night? I spent the night trying to find any technological advancements that could explain what happened but came up with zilch”

He glanced over and spotted the small pile of CV’s she had sitting on her coffee table. Picking up one, he snagged a cookie as he went and groaned softly at the still warm cookie practically melted in his mouth. He read through the double sided piece of paper and hummed, it was an impressive looking CV, as far as he could tell, she seemed more qualified than normal for working in a shop.

“The closest plausible explanation I could find was some nano-technology” she said as she stirred the milk into his tea and then removed the tea-bag. “But that's still in its early stages of development so I don’t think it could have been that, at least not yet”

Hearing a scuttling noise coming from behind her couch the Doctor put down the paper and cautiously looked over at it. “What’s that then?” he muttered to himself before calling over to Astra “Do you have a cat?”

“No” Astra asked in confusion as she walked into the living room with the two cups in hand. Putting them down carefully onto the coffee table she continued “I don’t particularly like them, they always just seemed... suspicious”

She watched as the Doctor knelt on the couch and cautiously peered down the back. Suddenly the disembodied arm from the night before, that she was sure she had dumped in the bins behind the pizza place, flew up from behind the couch and latched onto the Doctors neck.

Crying out in shock Astra raced over and tried to pry at the fingers clutching his neck so tightly that he was slowly turning blue. Unable to get any purchase on the fingers she grabbed the arm at the wrist and tried to pull the arm away.

A few moments later the two of them managed to throw the arm off. Everything after that seemed to happen in slow motion. It paused in mid-air hesitated there for just a moment and then it launched itself straight at Astra, clutching her face. Astra was thrown backwards into the wall from the force, right where her mirror was hanging. The mirror shattered on impact, jolting the Doctor into movement as he leapt over the coffee table and tried to wrestle the arm away from her.

After a particularly vicious tug the Doctor ended up pulling them both to the floor. Astra lay on top of the Doctor frantically trying to get the hand off her face as it suffocated her. They rolled knocking over the coffee table onto its side as they went spilling the drinks everywhere.

The Doctor was now straddling Astra and he pulled his silver device from within his jacket once more. Pressing the button several times to get the right frequency he pressed it to the wrist of the arm making it release its hold on her abruptly. Pressing the blue tip directly into the palm of the hand the arms movements slowed until they gradually stopped.

Astra gasped for breath where she lay keeping a wary eye on the arm still in the Doctors grip as she did. Leveraging herself up, she stood slightly shakily and swallowed hard watching as the man ran his device up and down the arm like he was scanning it.

The Doctor looked over and followed her gaze back to the arm briefly before he grinned at her. “It’s alright. I’ve stopped it” he waved the arm slightly before tossing it to the girl “There you go. See? Armless” he said trying to lighten the mood.

Astra shot him a scowl letting him know his humour was not appreciated before she whacked him as hard as she could with the arm.

“Ow!” he exclaimed jumping away from her as he rubbed him arm. His scowl quickly transformed into a look of sympathy as she tossed the arm onto the couch away from herself and turned away from it rubbing the side of her face. “You OK?” he asked in concern.

“Yeah” Astra said, shaking her head slightly as she gave him a smile “Thanks” she offered.

The Doctor nodded his head before he reached over and grabbed the arm. Walking around the glass partition, Astra scrambled after him he said “I have to go” before opening the front door and leaving with Astra not far behind him.

“Hold on a minute” Astra said as she quickly released the catch allowing her to get back inside without her keys before following him down her little drive “Can you please tell me something about what's been going on?” she asked as she jogged along side him.

“Can’t” the Doctor said as they left the drive and he led the way down the street.

“You mean you won’t” Astra pointed out.

“You’ll be in even more danger if I do” the Doctor exclaimed.

“Will me not knowing stop those things from coming after me again?” Astra asked curiously. She didn’t want to sound arrogant knowing the Doctor had been involved as well but it seemed the plastics found her first and the Doctor came to help her.

The Doctor abruptly stopped making Astra stop with him and turned to face her with an uncomfortable look on his face. “Technically they were after me both times. Wrong place, wrong time in regards to the basement and I was tracking the signal this morning and that arm could lead me right to it”

“So, it was trying to stop you both times” Astra said deep in thought “It tried to manually stop you in Henriks and when that didn’t work its trying to make it impossible for you to find main transmitter, if what was on the roof of the shop was just a relay device”

The Doctor smiled fondly as she worked out the mechanics of the situation with very little information. He noticed she often did that, work something out and voice it out loud. He did the same thing, he wondered how used to being alone she was, that it had become such a habit. He frowned at the thought, he didn’t like that before he turned and started walking again, heading across the road to the wide open plane of grass that held a small children's play area.

“Who are you?” Astra asked staring at the man in confusion. If this was the last time she was going to see the man he wanted to know why he felt so familiar. It frustrated her, she had never struggled to remember anything, so she didn’t know what it was so different about this man. But, she also felt incredibly happy, in a way she had never felt before. The feeling was wonderful and confusing. She still didn’t like not understanding something.

“I told you. I’m the Doctor” he said with a frown of confusion.

Astra was instantly tempted to say ‘Doctor Who?’ but she knew that wasn’t the question she was asking. Beside the name he had given her told her quite a bit more about the man in front of her than he probably intended. “Are people in danger? Is that what your doing, trying to help?”

“No, well, yes. And yes I am here to help” the Doctor answered throwing her a quick wink over his shoulder to show his attempt at teasing and saying “You lot don’t half make it hard work. Blundering in the way you did last night, shouting your head off”

“Oh, har har” Astra responded with a roll of her eyes but she couldn't quite hide the worry that had settled there. She looked around at the small play area resisting the urge to go over and get the children, that were happily playing, away from the plastic swings and slide. She knew she would just look barmy if she did.

The feel of the Doctor taking her hand caught her attention and she turned to see him looking directly at her. “I swear. I will stop them”

“Ok, I trust you. So, how does it work?” Astra asked.

Turning to start walking again before explaining “The thing controlling it projects life into the arm. I cut the signal off dead”

“So that's similar to radio control. Is it something more advanced technology wise or is it more extra-terrestrial, like telepathy?” Astra asked looking extremely curious.

The Doctor looked over impressed “Yeah, thought control” he answered honestly before tacking on “Well done”

“Who’s controlling it?” Astra asked swiftly looking around. It was ridiculous the amount of plastic that surrounded them, it seemed so inconspicuous, so mundane yet not now that someone had thought to weaponise it, so very dangerous.

He frowned as he thought about the answer to that question “It’s a long story” he admitted.

“Ok” Astra replied instantly making the Doctor smile “But, who are you Doctor? Really?”

"Do you know when you were a kid?” the Doctor asked after hesitating for a moment, he stopped and turned to face her “The first time they tell you that the world is turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still” grabbing both of her hands tightly as he stared with intensity into her eyes "I can feel it. The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at exactly a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at sixty seven thousand miles an hour and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me. Clinging to the skin of this tiny little world and if we let go..." he finished softly as he abruptly let go of Astra's hands making her jump "That's who I am” he finished with a smile.

Astra swallowed slightly before opening her mouth to speak “Not gonna lie, the description alone makes me feel a little woozy”

He laughed slightly as he observed her with softened eyes. He smiled at her before he said “Go home, Astra Nyx. Everything is going to be OK. I promise” he watched as her entire being relaxed before he gently turned her around by her shoulder and gave her a gentle shove back in the direction they came from “Go home”

She smiled sadly at him not really wanting to leave, but slowly she started to walk away. He watched her walk for a moment before he spun around and stalked off, not noticing she had stopped to watch him go.

Standing there silently, she watched as the Doctor approached the same blue police box she had seen the day before. She waited patiently, almost expectantly as the man opened the door with his key and stepped inside. Barely a moment later, the wind picked up and a strange but wonderful wooshing sound filled the air as the box pulsingly faded out of existence.

She didn’t know how long she stood there staring at the place where the box had stood. She just couldn’t put her finger on it. Everything about the man just felt so glaringly familiar but she could not figure out why. Annoying is what it is, she thought to herself shaking her head. Even watching that box fade from existence hadn’t caused her any surprise when it really should have. It really was quite the tantalising mystery.

Turning around to head back home she couldn’t help but smile to herself. She had a definite answer to her earlier worry of the Doctors well-being. He was truly OK and he was dealing with the situation. She wished she could have helped him, but for all she knew she might end up more of a hindrance than a help and she didn’t want that.

Sighing to herself as she reached her drive. It appeared she had some cleaning up to do before she got on with her day. Her plans for the afternoon consisted of her enjoying a leisurely walk along the Thames to the city centre where she could drop off some CV’s but the rest of her morning was undecided.

~*8*~

Astra put the last shards of the ceramic cup into her bucket. Grabbing some of the paper towels she quickly mopped up the liquid that had been flowing steadily in streams across the hard wood floor. She was extremely grateful that she had opted for the hard wood floors everywhere but in the bedrooms, where she had chosen the softest fluffiest carpet she could find. Dumping the sodden towels into the bucket, she stood and stretched. Groaning she rubbed the base of her back trying to relieve the ache that had settled there. She sighed, grabbed her bucket and headed for the kitchen area, before, unceremoniously dumping everything from it in the bin.

Quickly, she rinsed out the bucket and set it aside to dry. She set about making a coffee to replace the one she lost. The process was mindless enough through repeated exposure that it allowed her mind to drift. She couldn’t deny her curiosity when it came to the Doctor, her need for knowledge fighting the never ending war against the potential invasion of someone else privacy. Due to the fact she only ever kept the knowledge for herself and never used it against someone unless the information was more sinister in nature meant that her desire for the information inevitably won out.

Grabbing her coffee she headed for her top floor, swiftly booted up the computer and waited impatiently for the machine to turn on. While she waited she pondered how to go about researching such a man. The name the Doctor was hardly going to yield any desirable results, the title used for everything from science and medicine to teachers and scholars. He had confirmed to her that there was extraterrestrial involvement, so that was where she would start.

An internet search showed several conspiracy groups, all of whom claim sightings of UFO’s or the Loch Ness Monster. A quick change of tactics she search for any groups that tried to remain as incognito as possible, there seemed to be two such organisations, both mentioned in various ways throughout the articles she had found. Mysterious circumstances that were quickly hidden away and dealt with by either UNIT or Torchwood. Debating which to choose she read through the articles and came to a decision. Torchwood seemed to be more in favour of a kill first approach, whereas UNIT seemed more inclined to the Doctors mentality.

This wasn’t going to be simple as she had thought; they were a Government agency after all and probably had the cyber security to prove it. Still it had been a while since she had tested her skills and this was proving too much a temptation to resist. She booted up a programme that she had made, it was built, not to stop people finding her, but to redirect them to several different locations that by the time they proved them false she would have had time to remove herself and any trace of herself from the system.

Hacking into the Governments database for UNIT personnel was actually easier than she thought. The unknown nature of their work seemed to have the most protection leaving the information of the people they worked for practically public... if you knew where to look. Filtering out all the professions that used the title Dr. she search until she found the one she was looking for. No first name, no last name, just a big old The and Doctor spelt with a capital D.

Giving herself a little cheer she started reading through the files. She found they actually contained very little information, just small tidbits about the man's personality. Nothing about what he has done whilst working for them, no mission reports or even medical exams. It just had the description that read almost like personal specification you would find when applying for a job. While she admitted the description did seem to fit the man to a T there was nothing more here that confirmed this was the man she was looking for.

Scrolling further down the page she found a trio of photos that all were linked to ‘The Doctors’ file. Clicking on the first one she sighed, this wasn’t the man she was looking for after all. The man in the first image was a man with pale skin and dark hair cut to the shape of a bowl, dressed in a suit that looked four sizes to big with a crooked bow-tie and tartan pants.

Maybe she considered it was not just a name for one man, maybe it was an agents alias that was passed from one person to their successor, like 007 or the Dread Pirate Roberts.

Clicking on the next image she saw another unusually dressed man, he looked like a magician with his black velvet suit, matching cape with a deep red lining. His white ruffled cravat perfectly matched his white ruffled hair.

The last and final image didn’t show her Doctor either. Maybe they just weren't up to date with there images she considered as she gazed at the image on the screen. This man was perhaps the oddest of the lot. He was a tall man with a long face, curly brown hair ran riot around his head tamed somewhat by the brown fedora he wore. Pointy shoes poked out of long grey flared pants, a red tweed waist coat could just be seen through the open suede coat he wore of a matching colour. What stood out the most though, was the highly impractical, extremely long, technicolour scarf that dragged, about a foot on the floor on each end, even after wrapping twice around his neck.

Slumping back in her seat she rubbed her face with a groan, that hadn't told her any new information other than the man could possibly work for this UNIT. Before she could consider what to do next her computer flashed red and a loud beep filled the room. Focusing on her computer she noticed that they were close to breaking through her programme, quickly exiting back the way she came she cleaned up the system and closed all the holes she had created behind her as she went, making sure no one ever know of her presence.

With a sigh, she grabbed her coffee cup and downed the last of it, allowing the scent and taste to wash away her lingering frustration. She knew she wouldn't be able to do that again, at least not any time soon. She thought for a moment then opened a normal internet search, she might get a lot of random results but that box could move. Obviously she didn’t know what limitations it had but she could have fun trying to find out.

She typed ‘Doctor Blue Box’ in the search engine and pressed enter. After a moment a couple of hundred result showed up but it was the first one that caught her attention. On the screen was a very blurred, black and white picture of the Doctor she had met. The caption read ‘DOCTOR WHO?… Do you know this man? Contact Clive Here!’

Immediately she clicked the link and it opened up an email. She quickly typed an email to the man, wondering what he knew and why he was so interested in the Doctor.

~*8*~

Walking down the side of the Thames, Astra took a deep breath of the fresh sweet air as she enjoyed the quiet ambience of the peaceful Sunday afternoon. She had changed into a sharp suit, crisp black pants with a sleek, velvet blazer covering a sleeveless, ruffled, white shirt. A pair of small black and white heels and a black satchel bag completed the look. She was, as planned, heading into the city centre to hand out a few CV’s and she wanted to look professional, but she was also going to be taking a slight detour on the way.

After emailing with Clive back and forth a couple of time, he had invited her around to see the extent of his research on the Doctor. Getting his address she told him she would be round this afternoon while she was on her way into town and then left it at that. Now don’t misunderstand, she was in no way blindly trusting a stranger she had met on the internet. She had done her checks and discovered what she could about the man and everything had tallied up so far with the information he had given himself.

His full name was Clive Finch and he worked as an Estate Agent. He had a wife and two sons called Caroline, Ben and Michael respectively. The family where not rich, but they lived a comfortable life just outside of central London. His father was killed when he was two years old leaving him to be raised by his widowed mother. His father’s death was covered up by a group called the Intrusion Counter-Measures Group which seemed to be an earlier form of the organisation UNIT.

The death of his father seemed to be the catalyst for the man's obsession with the Doctor Astra mused as she turned off the Thames and headed down a few streets until she reached the man's address.

Smiling, she watched as a pair of kids played with a football across the road, eagerly trying to get it to bounce back at them off the curb. She saw an elderly couple sat serenely on a bench at the top of their garden, neither speaking as they sipped their drinks, watching the world around them. She saw a young couple, all smiles and energy chasing each other as they headed off down the street to wherever they were going.

Letting herself through the metal gate, she walked up the short path leading to the front door before knocking. She waited for a moment, able to hear the voice of a woman call “Will someone get that?” from somewhere deeper in the house. A moment later, the catch clicked off and the door opened revealing a young boy of about fourteen.

“Hi, I’m here to see Clive” she said as the boy looked her up and down.

His eyebrows rose as he observed her for a moment before shrugging and calling over his shoulder “Dad! Its one of you nutters!” he turned and saw his dad poke his head out of the living room. Taking this as his queue to leave he left the door open and headed up the stairs.

A rather large man stepped out from behind the living room door and stepped forward “Sorry about that” Clive said with a frown as he vaguely gestured to the direction his son had run off to “Hello, you must be Astra. I’m Clive, Obviously” he said sheepishly as he held out a hand for her to shake.

Returning the gesture she said “Hi” with a slight laugh at the cheerful man who was obviously used to apologising for his sons behaviour “It’s nice to meet you Clive”

“Who is it?” a woman's voice called from somewhere upstairs.

“Oh, it’s something to do with the Doctor” Clive called, as he gestured for Astra to come inside “She’s been reading the website” Turning his attention back to Astra as he closed the door “Please, come through. I’m the garden shed” he explained.

“Lead the way” she replied with a smile before following the man as he led the way through his house and out the back door.

“She?” a pretty brunette walked down the stairs carrying an overflowing basket full of dirty washing “She’s read your website about the Doctor? And she’s a she?” she called after him with a fond grin on her face at her husband’s antics.

~*8*~

Clive led the way down the short path ending at his medium sized, painted white and blue shed. Astra smiled as she saw the man's little work shop, it looked a little worn around the edges with its faded paint and padlocked door, but it was obvious to her that Clive loved his little shed as much as she loved her library. Unlocking the padlock he opened the door and allowed her to precede him before following her inside.

Astra looked around the room wide eyed. There wasn’t a surface left uncovered, her hands twitched slightly with the desire to organise everything properly. Not that it wasn’t all tidy, but it was obviously a controlled chaos scenario over her own methodical madness.

If you went into her library you wouldn’t immediately be able to tell how it was organised, she had set ways of organising different things but it was mainly her books and her clothes. Her library had a set of shelves for overarching topic, such as science, history, fiction etcetera. Then it delved into a shelf or two for each sub category which was then organised by the quality of the information within for research books and by author for her fiction books, which then descended into favourites or series.

Shaking her head she looked around the room in front of her. The walls were lined with shelves full of files and history books. Cork boards were dotted around some on walls others just leant against the shelves covered in newspaper cut outs, photos and drawings. In the centre of the room was a table that filled most of the room, it left just enough room to walk around it, covered in different maps both of different places on Earth and of the stars. Above that, a small bicycle hung from the ceiling by its back wheel as various things from wind chimes to a pocket watch hung from every available crook.

“A lot of this stuff is quite sensitive, I couldn't just send it to you. People might intercept, if you know what I mean” Clive said apologetically before he launched into his research “If you dig deep enough and keep a lively mind, this Doctor keeps cropping up all over the place. Political diaries,” he pointed to a set of various leather bound books “conspiracy theories, even ghost stories” he said with a gesture towards a specific cork board that seemed full of news paper clippings “No first name, no last name, just the Doctor. Always the Doctor. And the title seems to be past down from father to son. It appears to be an inheritance” Clive explained enthusiastically. “That's your Doctor there, isn’t it?” Clive asked pointing to an enlarged version of the photo she had seen online.

“Yes, that's him” Astra nodded with a small smile. It was an incredibly blurry image, not helped by the grainy texture found in photos from a long time ago, but it was definitely the same man.

“I tracked this photo down in the Washington public archive just last year” Clive explained as he pulled out another two photos from the folder. “The online photo’s been enhanced but if we look at the original image” he said showing the first of the two printed photos showing an image of the Doctor surrounded by people. Placing the first behind the second he revealed the wider shot taken that showed the entire situation “November 22nd 1963. The Assassination of President John F Kennedy. You see?”

Astra nodded he head before responding “And you think the man I met was his son or something?” She hadn't studied genetics, but it seemed extraordinarily unlikely that the son of the man would look exactly the same. Even the environmental and dietary conditions from the different time periods would have caused a certain amount of differences.

“Going further back” Clive rambled on, taking her question as scepticism. He did not want to lose this opportunity to talk to someone who knew about the Doctor. He pulled another paper file from the pile on the edge of the table and pulled out another photo “April 1912. This is a photo of the Daniels family of South Hampton, and friend” he said as he handed her the photo to see a family consisting of three young girls and a lone boy,they stood before a trio of adults, two obviously the parents and the third was the Doctor. “This was taken the day before they were due to sail off for the new world on the Titanic. For some unknown reason they cancelled the trip and survived” he said, the expression on his face a healthy combination of awe and wariness.

Leaning closer to the photo Astra couldn't help but smile. That sounded like the man she had met. Her brain was exploding with concepts and ideas that often were discarded as quickly as they occurred, it was like her favourite quote from Arthur Conan Doyle’s, Sherlock Homes, Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

It couldn’t be a legacy passed down from father to son because circumstances and environmental changes would cause noticeable differences in appearance and no matter how blurry the images had been they could be no doubt that the man in them was the same Doctor. There was only one explanation that fit with the facts presented and no matter how absurd the idea was from the current scientific stand point, that didn’t negate the potential for hidden technology available for the people within the government agencies especially if they are ones that work against potential extraterrestrial threats. That left only one conclusion. Time Travel.

For all its absurdity, it fit the facts presented, the same man she had met, was the same man in the images from 1963 and 1912. Using his foreknowledge he had saved someone from the sinking titanic, the titanic had to sink because that was a well-known part of history, so he couldn’t prevent that. So, she assumed, he saved someone he knew he could. Perhaps there were certain rules when it came to time travel that had to be adhered to, like where you could intervene and where you couldn't. It looked like she had another topic to research when she got home.

Clive pulled another image down from one of his many cork boards and showed it to her. This one was a sketched picture in some kind of ink, “Here we are in 1883, and look, another Doctor and appearing to be from the same lineage” he explained enthusiastically “It’s identical. This one washed up on the coast of Sumatra, on the very day the Krakatoa exploded. The Doctor is a legend woven throughout history, when disaster comes, he's there. He brings a storm in his wake and although I think he tries, he can’t save everyone”

~*8*~

Outside a middle aged man stepped out of his garden dragged his black wheelie bin through the gate and deposited it on the edge of the curb, ready for tomorrows collection. As he went to let go of the handle his hand stuck slightly before he managed to pull his hand away. Shaking his head he frowned slightly before he laughed at himself. He turned and headed back inside.

As he re-entered his house he failed to notice the shuffling of his wheelie bin that grew more violent before it eventually tipped over, but, the lid remained shut. There was a slight bang and the lid flew open and a flesh coloured shaped flew out and over into one of the empty gardens.

~*8*~

“So, you think he comes from a long line of Doctors? A hero-type family legacy. That if he’s around when these things happen he steps in and tries to help” Astra asked not quite able to disguise the scepticism in her voice. The capacity of the human mind to rationalise and trivialise always astonished her. She loved the idea of the weird and wonderful and couldn't imagine how boring it was to have such a limited imagination. It sounded extremely boring to her.

Shaking her head she pointed out a flaw in the man's theory “So that last photo was taken before the Titanic set sail, right? No one knew it was going to sink until it did. So how did he manage to warn them of something, that he, had no way of knowing, was going to happen”

Shaking his head Clive sighed “All I know is this. If he’s singled you out, if the Doctors making house calls, then be careful” he warned, praying that if she listened to nothing else he said she would listen to this. He knew there were many holes in his theories; he just hoped she took him seriously.

~*8*~

One of the kids approached and pulled the bin into its upright position. Looking at the area the bin had fell he saw nothing, lifting the lid he noticed it was also empty. He frowned slightly in confusion before he shrugged, closed the lid and went back to playing.

~*8*~

“Who do you really think he is?” Astra asked, as if sensing he had only been telling her the most complete theory he had over what he actually believed.

“I think it’s the same man. I think he’s an immortal. I think he’s alien from another world” Clive explained. Then, he sighed despondently “It doesn’t quite explain everything though. There are these other men pictured through time as well, all of them very different from this one, but all using the same name, the Doctor”

“Well, I managed to look into UNIT records and discovered a couple of different men all going by that name as well” Astra started hesitantly “Each under the same file named The Doctor. The man I met wasn’t in it, so I just thought it might be a name passed from agent to agent who fit the requirements. But, fore-knowledge and everything else makes me come to a different conclusion. A combination of your theory and mine might just be the most accurate”

“What was your theory?” Clive asked curiously, he had though she wasn’t taking him seriously but maybe he had just made the mistake of giving her the most plausible theory he had.

“Time travel” Astra said bluntly “We don’t know what aliens are capable of, maybe they can change there faces, like a disguise or something. I mean being an immortal Alien who can time travel and change his face fits everything we have. I just don’t know if we could ever get the confirmation of it all” she finished with a frown.

“Yeah” Clive sighed “Unless you run into the man again and get it confirmed” he said hopefully.

Astra laughed and said “If I do I’ll be sure to keep in touch and let you know”

~*8*~

Astra walked down the path and out the front gate. Turning to wave at Clive, who stood in the door way, looking far more cheerful than he had at the start of their conversation. Pausing briefly as frown of indecision crossed her face as she looked back at Clive and opened her mouth.

Seeing her struggle Clive stepped out of the door and walked down the pathway. “What is it?” he asked.

“Look, I was told that people would be in danger if I told. But, your most likely to believe me and not want to section me so I’m gonna take the chance” Astra explained before she took a deep breath and said “This is going to sound completely barmy but trust me, Okay” seeing him nod she continued “Be careful around anything plastic for the next few days. Especially shop window dummies. They aren’t as... harmless as they seem”

Clive's frown deepened as he nodded, taking her seriously and knowing she was taking a risk in telling him this. His family had some plans to go late night shopping later, hopefully he would be able to talk them out of it.

Seeing her warning had been taken to heart she breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the man before heading off in the direction of the Thames to go into the city. Distracted as she was she never noticed the very plastic looking man step out from one of the gardens and slowly follow after her as she walked.

~*8*~

Astra walked into her last stop of the day, a small restaurant that had an eclectic menu that suited her tastes perfectly. There was a job going for a waitress/bartender that she intended to apply for before sitting down for some dinner. She patiently waited for the front of house to approach her before she spoke.

“Hi, I’m looking to hand in my CV for consideration for the job advertised and then I was hoping you had a free table” she explained with a sheepish look on her face as she took one of her CV’s out of her bag.

“It’s not a problem” the woman said taking the offered CV before checking the computer in front of her “Is it just yourself?” seeing her nod she responded “No problem just follow me and we’ll get you seated” she said as she grabbed a couple of menus before she led the way through the tables to a two top that had a wonderful view of the river. Handing over the menu she asked “Can I get you anything to drink to start with?”

“Can I get a bottle of Lindeman’s Sauvignon Blanc, please” she asked before opening her food menu as the woman nodded and then walked over to the bar for the requested bottle. She always got a bottle, it was a safety precaution as much as it was cheaper in the long run. She had seen far too many reports of glasses being spiked to risk it and she could always just take the rest home.

The woman came back with a large rainbow wine glass and her bottle of wine chilling in an ice pack. After carefully setting them down before she spoke “Are you ready to order?”

“Yes, please can I have the prawn tacos to start, then the roasted duck breast in cherry port sauce and the chocolate fondant with salted caramel ice cream for dessert” she ordered politely. She didn’t really know why she looked through the menu really, she always ended up making the same order every time she came which was at least a couple of times a month.

She ate peacefully, just watching the people around her. She smiled at the small families that were sitting down to the Sunday lunches, struggling to get errant and excited children to calm down and eat their meals.

Her dessert being placed in front of her snapped her out of her thoughts “Thank you” she said receiving a nod from the waitress before she walked away to continue her duties. She had just split the fondant letting the molten chocolate centre flood out when there was a thump as someone sat down opposite her.

Her head snapped and her mouth dropped open with a soft “Oh” before her face split into a grin “Hello”

“Hello” the Doctor said with a smile. He had not meant to run into her again, but he couldn’t deny the happiness that had filled him when had spotted her sat at the table.

“What are you doing here?” she asked curiously before clarifying quickly in case he thought she wanted him gone “Not that I’m not happy to see you again”

The Doctor huffed a laugh before he answered “I was trying to trace the origins of the signal again” he explained “But I spotted another spike and traced it to here”

“Last time we met, you said it was hunting you back” Astra asked, frowning as her mind tried to make the connection.

The Doctor said nothing but nodded his confirmation.

“If it can’t track you properly maybe it latched onto me in the hopes I would lead it to you?” Astra deduced not sure if she got it right. She was thinking in terms of human tracking she didn’t know what differences there could be for aliens.

“I didn’t think of that” the Doctor said with a frown.

They both started looking around cautiously trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. As she looked around Astra couldn’t resist asking a couple of questions that had been on her mind “What’s that device you keep using?”

The Doctor shot her a fond look before answering “It’s called a Sonic Screwdriver”

“Oh, it seems a bit more versatile than a screwdriver” Astra hummed “Maybe you should rename it a sonic multi-tool” she said with a slight laugh.

Astra turned back to the table and grabbed her glass wanting a sip when she spotted something over the Doctors shoulder. She gasped making the Doctor look over and then follow her gaze. Sat across the room staring right at her was a very average looking man in every way except for one thing, his entire complexion looked smoothed over and polished. He was made of plastic.

Seeing he had their attention he jumped up and walked swiftly towards them knocking over tables as he went. Raising its arm as it went its hand enlarged and narrowed, until it looked like a large rubber wedge. The Doctor stood and intercepted the man before it could reach them, grabbing the weaponised hand by the wrist as he tried to wrestle it away from the now running, screaming people.

Looking around Astra spotted the fire alarm on the pillar at the end of the bar and tried to make her way over to it only to be buffered and shoved away by the crowd of panicking customers.

The Doctor managed to get the man into a headlock, he was trying to twist the head off the same way he had done the arm, but it wasn’t as easy this time. It appeared to be much more solidly attached.

Finally managing to reach the pillar Astra smashed the protective glass covering the small lever, pulling it she activated the fire alarm. “Out, Out! Everybody get out now!”Astra yelled as loud as she could. Hearing the beeping alarm and Astra’s calls people quickly tried to make for the exits.

Just as the crowd’s direction stabilised into a more orderly fashion the Doctor finally managed to pull the head of the man right off with a very loud pop.

The body continued to flail about smashing anything that got in its way. The Doctor looked around, seeing most of the people had made it out with the others not far behind he reached over and grabbed Astra's hand before dragging her into a run. He led the way through the kitchen and out the back exit.

The man seeming to notice its prey way no longer in the immediate vicinity, stumbled as it tried to make its way after the escaping duo.

Once through the door the Doctor quickly released Astra’s hand and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, pressed it against the door and the lock quickly engaged and the door sealed.

Astra slammed the bolt down at the bottom as an extra deterrent and backed away from the door. The sound of crashing metal could be heard from within as the man knocked over pots and pans as it tried to catch up to them. The Doctor ignored the noise and headed over to his blue police box, calmly unlocking the door.

A large thud sounded, corresponding with a large dent that appeared in the metal door causing Astra to gasp and back further away. The Doctor looked over and quickly called “Hey, Lets go in here” he said as the door opened allowing the entrance.

Looking over, Astra glanced at the door one more time before racing for the still open door of the box. Closing it swiftly behind her she hit the catch before turning around. The noise from the metal door outside finally breaking off its hinges faded into the background, as she looked around the magnificently, impossible room that stood before her.

Slowly she walked up the steps not paying any attention to the Doctor as he stood at the central console connecting various wires to the plastic head. She was sure she had never seen anything like this in her life. It was just so beautiful.

As she stepped up the last stair and onto the main platform absentmindedly, she looked around. She felt warmth descend over her as the now constant pang of familiarity resonated within her again. It felt like more this time, there was a feeling of peace and safety that infused her very being. It felt like she had come home.

The huge dome shaped room looked almost... organic, in style and texture. Embossed hexagons lined the wall, each one lit up showing the occasional shadow, silhouette of something unidentifiable within. A variety of Y-shaped beams that looked like they were made of coral grew from below the platform and branched, upward, to the domed ceiling.

The room was lit by a golden glow stemming from the walls and a mysterious blue-green glow emanated ominously from the central column, the glow reminiscent of a light held underwater. It descended straight into the centre of what appeared to be six separate but connected panels.

It looked like it had been cobbled together from odds and ends that could be found in a scrap yard. It was at about hip height and sloped upwards, it contained a diverse mix of items; every time you looked you spotted something new. There was everything from an old manual bicycle pump to a spiral-cord dial-wheel phone, a gas mileage dial to a heavy spherical glass paperweight.

A monitor, was fixed to a rotatable cross bar, set just above the console. The screen was darkly lit, with a circular pattern that seemed to be some kind of written language. The same writing also appeared on the various multi-coloured post it notes that decorated the edge of the screen.

Pulling her attention away from the incredible room she had found herself in, she looked back towards the door as it thudded loudly. “It can’t get in right?” Astra asked as she kept a close eye on the door.

“The assembled hoard of Genghis Khan couldn’t get through that door, and believe me they’ve tried” the Doctor explained with a smirk as he patted the console fondly “Now, hush for a minute. I need to finish this”

Astra walked up to stand beside him, watching as he finished attaching the last of the wires to the head then zapping it with his sonic. She waited patiently for him to finish and a few moments later her patience was rewarded as he turned around to lean back against the console.

“The arm was too simple” the Doctor explained as he waved at the plastic head that was nestled comfortably on the console “but the head is perfect” he said before leaning over and grabbed the side of the monitor and dragged it round for him to keep an eye on. “OK, where do you want to start?” he asked as he could practically see her brilliant mind at work behind her eyes.

“Erm...” Astra hummed before asking “The outside is a lot smaller than the inside”

The Doctor smiled “That was a new one usually people say it’s bigger on the inside, but yeah”

“Well, no one has ever accused me of being normal and if they did I’d be insulted if they did” she said with a laugh before her eyes lit up “Is it just the entrance? Like the inside is a pocket dimension anchored to the doorway”

Laughing slightly in amazement “How did you come to that conclusion?” the Doctor asked wondering if it was just some science-fiction story or TV show or something.

“I read up on Galileo’s research in the book Observation, Experimentation and Inventions Presented in Three Dimensions” Astra started enjoying the way his eyes lit up in delight “and then I read The Inflationary Universe by Alan Guth and discovered his proposed theory on pocket dimensions”

The Doctor was incredibly impressed; he hadn’t thought she had looked into the concept in that much detail. He opened his mouth but was quickly distracted by the monitor beeping. He twiddled with several knobs and pressed a sequence of buttons before returning his attention to Astra.

“Are you an alien?” Astra asked before he could comment on her reading habits. She was a nerd when it came to books she knew it and didn’t really need anyone else’s opinion.

“Yes” the Doctor answered simply, seeing her nod but showing no other obvious reaction, he couldn’t help but ask “Is that alright?”

“Yup” Astra answered with a pop “It explains the ears” she smirked as she leant up and flicked one of his ear lobes.

The Doctor smirked at the mischief that lit up her eyes as he gestured to the room surrounding them “This is called a TARDIS, it stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space” he explained before he turned back to the monitor to look at the initial results from the scans. So focused on his work he missed Astra’s flinch as she rubbed her temples.

Wincing at the mention of the word TARDIS, a sharp pain lancing through her mind and she could hear a vague whispery voice saying ...A type 40 TARDIS... TARDIS’s are grown by specialist... Travel through Time and Space...

The pain and the voice disappeared as quickly as they came, leaving behind a dull ache. Shaking her head, she tried to dislodge the lingering dazed feeling that had taken hold. Desperately, she clung to the information but it faded away like smoke on the wind.

She frowned as she started to consider what happened back at the restaurant “Would they have needed to replicate a real person?” she asked knowing he would get what she was talking about despite the abrupt change in topic.

“I don’t think so” the Doctor shook his head “They can do but that’s normally for memories and speech patterns”

“And seeing as it was no one I knew and I didn’t hear it speak it was probably just, what, from a photo or something?”

“Probably” the Doctor nodded as he leant against the console again “Either that or just some random person you passed on your way into town”

Astra nodded before she spotted something out of the corner of her eye that made her eyebrows rise “Is the head supposed to be melting?” she asked in disgusted fascination as she watched the head deflate like a popped football before her very eyes and melted into the console below.

The Doctor spun around with a cry of “MELT!” his eyes flew wide at what he saw. He grabbed the monitor and started inputting some data into the console below. Racing round the entire console he pulled levers and pressed buttons with a constant stream of negatives leaving his lips as he did.

A loud wheezing sound echoed through the room as it violently rocked making Astra lunge forward and grab a hold of the edge of the console in order to keep her balance. “Is that going to stop you from finding the source?”

Apparently the Doctor could hear her over the grinding wheeze of the box “I’m following the signal, it’s fading fast” he answered grabbing the monitor with both hands he rushed to explain “Wait a minute, I’ve got it. No, no, no, no, no, no, no!” he raced back around the console frantically trying to latch onto the rapidly deteriorating signal “Almost there. Almost there. Here we go!”

Checking the monitor he groaned, reading the monitor it showed he had gotten close, within a quarter of a mile radius in fact, but not close enough. Grabbing Astra’s hand he led her over to the doors, undoing the latch he dragged her out.

~*8*~

Astra looked around curiously seeing they had moved to the South Bank of the River Thames, before focusing on the Doctor as he started to speak.

“I lost the signal” he groaned “I got so close” he grumbled as he headed over to the wall that lined the bridge overlooking the Thames. Leaning forward on both arms he tried to look around for anything nearby that could be used to transmit the signal.

“Would the body have melted with the head?” Astra asked as she walked up beside him and hoisted herself up onto the wall.

“Yeah, it melted with the head” the Doctor asked before looking over at her “You haven’t mentioned anything about the fact that we have moved”

“I saw the box disappear last time you left” Astra shrugged as she continued to look around “I figured it disappeared there and reappeared here, although I have no clue about the mechanics involved in that. I expect that might be a bit longer conversation than we have time for right now”

The Doctor smiled slightly with a nod, focusing on his surroundings again.

“If your an alien how come you have a northern English accent?” Astra asked curiously.

“Lots of planets have a north” the Doctor answered cheekily. He knew she wouldn’t quite appreciate that answer but that, although she didn’t know it, was also part of a much larger conversation that they simply didn’t have time for right now.

Astra rolled her eyes at the answer before asking a different question “Why does your ship look like a 60’s police public call box?”

“It’s a disguise” the Doctor explained as he walked over to the blue box and stroked the corner. He knew it stood out to some people even if most just ignored it. Originally he had tried to fix it but in the end he loved the way his old box looked, and he couldn’t imagine her looking like anything else.

Deciding to speak up, due to the Doctor getting distracted by his majestic and magical box. “This Living Plastic. These Auton’s. What has it got against us?” Astra asked.

“Nothing, it loves you. You’ve got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty toxins and dioxins in the air, perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. Its food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein planets rotted, so Earth, dinner!” the Doctor explained cheerfully miming eating dinner with a knife and fork. His thoughts returned to the matter at hand, he walked back over to the edge of the bridge and looked out over the water.

“You said you were working on a way to stop it?” She asked as she hopped off the wall and joined him in observing.

The Doctor reached inside his leather jacket and pulled out a test tube capped with a cork that was filled with a dark blue liquid. “This” he said waving the tube slightly making the liquid slosh about inside “is Anti-Plastic” clasping the tube in his fist he continued “But first I’ve got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?”

Looking over at him with a raised eyebrow, London was considered small she thought to herself before she asked “Hide what? What exactly are we looking for?”

“The Transmitter” the Doctor said as he wandered further away from the TARDIS with Astra by his side looking out across the river “The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal”

“What would it look like?” Astra asked as her gaze landed on the London eye. When she thought of a transmitter she thought along the lines of a satellite and the Eye was close to that kind of shape.

“Like a transmitter” the Doctor said with a shrug “Round and Massive, slap bang in the middle of London. A huge metal circular structure like a dish, a wheel. Radial. Close to where we’re standing. Must be completely invisible” he finished with a shake of his head before turning to Astra who was watching him with a smile “What?”

“You know, sometimes, a solution can be right in front of you but because your too close to the problem the answer becomes impossible to see” Astra said as she nodded her head at the Eye.

The Doctor turned around to look over the embankment and tried to see what she was pointing at. Failing he turned back with his lips twisting slightly as he resisted the urge to pout “What? What is it?” he asked as she shook her head at him in fondness “What?”

Astra stepped up behind him and gently turned him around to look. She pointed, starting at the very top and then followed the shape of the Eye round into a big circle. She smirked when she saw the understanding dawn across his face as he realised what she was trying to show him.

“Oh... Fantastic!” he cheered as he grabbed her hand and together they ran. Wide grin stretched across their faces as the raced along Westminster Bridge to the walk way that would lead them down to the base of the Eye.

“Think of it, plastic all over the world, every artificial thing waiting to come alive the moment the command is sent. The Shop window dummies would just be the start” the Doctor explained before he said “The Phones”

“the Mp3 players” Astra continued.

“the Televisions”

“the Computers”

“wires and cables”

“Even food packaging” They alternated until Astra finished it off, neither seeming to realise just how easily they had slipped into sequence.

“Still we’ve found the transmitter. The consciousness must be somewhere underneath” the Doctor explained as they reached level with the Eye.

Glancing around Astra spotted a parapet that overlooked the base of the Eye. She ran over and looked down the side to see a large man hole at the bottom of a set of stone steps. ”What about down here?” she called back over her shoulder gaining the Doctors attention.

Running over to join her, the Doctor leant next to her and looked down. “Looks good to me” he practically cheered, grateful to have the company that he had been denying himself “You’re extremely good at this” he said as he took her hand and headed down the steps.

“Thanks” Astra grinned as they came to a stop above the man hole. He loosened the cover before lifting it up and putting it to one side. Sticking his head down first and seeing nothing he turned and slowly descended the ladder.

The Doctor jumped off the last few steps, helping Astra down once she was within reach. Looking around the small room that was lit by a hellish red, they followed it to its source.

~*8*~

They climbed down another short ladder and crept along a short corridor that led to a large circular brick room. They climbed down another few steps and looked around the large room. There were chains and ripped tarps hanging from the ceiling. Descending levels of grated metal floors circled the edges of the room until they cumulated at a huge pit at the lowest level.

They crept down the next set of stairs to the top level and stopped at the rail overlooking the centre. In the centre there was a vat filled with a molten mass of some sort, writhing and gesticulating with unnatural liveliness.

“The Nestene Consciousness” the Doctor whispered to Astra as she stood next to him overlooking the commotion below. Cautiously looking over the rail Astra looked down keeping a tight grip on the rickety bar in front of her. Several shop window dummies moved around on the floors below, shifting various crates of things from place to place, arranging them as they prepared for the final conquest. “That’s it inside the vat. A living plastic creature that generates energy and projects it into everything plastic. That’s how it takes control”

He turned and started down the steps that led to the next level of steel catwalk that over looked the seething, pulsating vat. Following after him, Astra was forced to walk slightly on her toes as her heels stuck slightly in the grated floor.

The Doctor approached the edge and looked down upon the vat. Standing tall and straight backed, he clasped his hands behind his back before he called down to the creature “I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under the peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the shadow proclamation”

The Consciousness flexed and gurgled some form of an answer that the Doctor seemed to understand “Thank you. If I might have permission to approach?”

Continuing down to the next level the Doctor grabbed Astra’s hand as he passed keeping her secure against his side when he saw her struggling. He wondered whether it was a fear of heights or enclosed spaces, they were pretty high up but the ominous atmosphere, encouraged by the darkness made the room feel terribly small.

Turning his attention back to the vat of living liquid the Doctor watched as it rolled and pulsed unpleasantly, like a bubbling infested bog. “Am I addressing the Consciousness?” the Doctor asked and received a rumble response “Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilisation by means of warp shunt technology. So may I suggest with the greatest of respect, that you shunt off?” the Doctor asked politely. His voice and stance remained unthreatening but there was an underlying seriousness about him that demanded your attention and compliance.

The liquid writhed and pulsed, it leapt up slightly before settling in an approximation of a grotesque face. Protrusions erupted and took the shape of a scowling mouth and angered eyebrows as it churned and frothed in reply.

“Oh, don’t give me that. It’s an invasion, plain and simple.” The Doctor interrupted “Don’t talk about constitutional rights” Not willing to listen to the creatures attempts to justify its actions.

“I am talking!” the Doctor yelled as the Consciousness tried to growl and gurgle over the Doctor “This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learned how to walk, but they are capable of so much more. I am asking you, on they’re behalf. Please, just go” he ordered as politely as he could but he couldn’t help the exasperation that leaked into his voice. It wasn’t his fault though, it was ridiculous the amount of aliens that seemed intent to try and concur the Earth and its people. There were plenty of other planets that they could have but no, it was always Earth, wasn’t it!

Unnoticed, a trio of dummies approached them from behind. Astra yelped in shock as she was restrained by two of them. She looked over to the Doctor and saw he was in much the same predicament with only one dummy. It was clear the Doctor was considered the bigger threat and she was going to be used to ensure his compliance. One of the dummies holding Astra leant over to the struggling Doctor and retrieved the test tube of anti-plastic from the man’s inside pocket and held it aloft for the consciousness to see.

The Doctor watched the scene in a slight panic as he tried to explain “That was just for insurance. I wasn’t going to use it” he yelled down to the now angry creature hoping he could get it to listen. The creature continued to gargle and froth in response “I was not attacking you. I’m here to help. I am not your enemy. I swear. I’m not!” he tried to placate the extremely angry creature.

The consciousness bubbled violently in reply. “What do you mean?” the Doctor questioned with a frown of concern crossing his face. The Doctor gasped and looked up to one of the shipping containers that overlooked the vat. Astra followed his gaze and her jaw dropped in horror as she saw the TARDIS.

“No, oh no. Honestly, no” the Doctor quickly explained “Yes, that’s my ship. That’s not true. I should know, I was there, I fought in the war. It wasn’t my fault. I couldn’t save your world; I couldn’t save any of them!” the Doctor pleaded desperately.

“Whats going on?” Astra yelled in horror as she saw the conveyor moving the TARDIS forward.

“It’s the TARDIS! The Nestene’s identified it as superior technology. Its terrified, Its going into the final phase. Its starting the invasion” the Doctor explained as he desperately tried to wriggle free of the tight grip holding him.

The creature in the vat roared at the Doctor in triumph as the room filled up with energy.

The Doctor looked around to see Astra struggling in the grip of the dummies as they both tried with all their might to escape the hold they had on them. Both of them looked up as the energy built to the point where it snapped like a jolt of lightening across the ceiling. A huge amount of energy started to build up creating a translucent blue dome of energy over the consciousness. Arcs of energy bounced around the room before it surged straight up and through the base of the London Eye.

“It’s the activation signal” the Doctor shouted “It’s transmitting” They both turned their attention to shaking up off the dummies holding them hostage with renewed vigour. Outside the chamber, the London Eye started to crackle with a bright blue energy.

~*8*~

Clive shifted uncomfortable as he kept a careful eye on the shop window dummies as his family walked by. It might be his extremely over active imagination after the conversation with Astra but he felt like they were watching him. He had tried his best to talk his family out of going but to no avail. His wife needed something for work and the boys were missing something from their school uniforms so it had to be done today ready for school and work in the morning.

“There is no point in creating a spreadsheet if you are going to spend summer money in the winter months” Clive tried to explain to his stubborn wife. He made the spreadsheets to track their money and it always ended up a mess because the budget just could not cover impulse buying.

He stopped and snapped to attention when his wife gasped in surprise and put a hand to her heart in shock. “Oh my god, I thought they were dummies” his wife huffed feeling embarrassed by her outburst “I nearly had a heart attack”

He watched cautiously and then spotted what his wife had seen. The dummies hands were slowly starting to move. With no time to lose he turned to his family and yelled urgently “Run!”

Seeing their incredulous looks he grabbed his youngest son by the arm and started dragging him into a run. “Just trust me and RUN!”

His wife saw the serious look he wore and grabbed the hand of their other son and followed her husband’s example. They started to run away just as the first dummy raised its arm and smashed through the glass.

His wife screamed in terror and they started to run faster, desperate to get out of the shopping mall full of suddenly alive shop window dummies.

~*8*~

The plastic in the vat became extremely excited as the signal started building in strength before broadcasting from the centre of the Eye.

“Time Lord” the consciousness groaned with triumph before gurgling an order. The dummies wrestled with their captive trying to keep them in their hold as they tried to escape. The vat rumbled and the Doctor doubled his efforts as he understood. They were to be thrown into the vat.

The dummies started to shuffle in excitement as the energy built, moving them towards the vat little by little. The Doctor and Astra’s efforts rendered useless under the unrelenting grip hey found themselves in.

~*8*~

Racing out of the shopping centre they ran all the way to the car park that held their car. Forcing the boys into the back Clive and his wife crouched low in the front. Clive was suddenly very grateful he had parked away from the main street, the surrounding cars made it difficult for them to be seen but they could see what was happening.

The family of four watched as the dummies on the street smashed through cars and shot lasers out of there detached hands. Chaos and destruction reigned, as people screamed and tried to get away.

~*8*~

Astra spotted a small metal handle and got an idea. Instead of continuing her fruitless struggle she stopped abruptly before turning sharply to the right. If she was right and her attention hadn’t failed her, then the dummy to her left was the one holding the anti-plastic. The dummy, not expecting the move, stumbled forward tried to regain its balance only to hit the bar and fall head first into the vat. The tube fell from its grip as it plummeted as the Consciousness roared in disbelief and horror.

The remaining dummies immediately released their hostages and lunged for the tube of liquid. A quick push from the duo sent them following the same path into the vat. Astra lost her balance came close to following right behind them only for the Doctor to lunge forward in order to steady her just in time.

The Consciousness shrieked as cracks appeared throughout the writhing vat, blue energy emanating from the fractures. The same energy that the creature had tried to broadcast rebounded back against itself.

“Now we’re in trouble” the Doctor said with a grin. The adrenaline of their success filling his body as he held Astra tightly pressed against him as she smiled back with the same sentiment.

Explosions erupted throughout the chamber and the signal from the eye stopped completely. The Doctor and Astra raced up the stairs to the TARDIS, quickly unlocked the door and entered.

The TARDIS faded from existence just as the pipes that lined the ceiling started to burst, spreading water throughout the room. Chunks of concrete fell from the ceiling, as it cracked and broke apart, falling in large chunks as the dummies inside the chamber spasmed to a slow and complete stop.

~*8*~

Suddenly the dummies all jolted straight up before they writhed and stumbled. Eventually they all collapsed to the floor, a plastic head detached and rolled away.

Cautiously they climbed out of the car and headed over to look. Seeing all the dummies had stopped his wife turned to him and asked with tears on her face “How did you know?”

Taking a deep breath Clive slowly explained “Do you remember the girl from earlier?” at his wife's nod her admitted “She warned me about this, it’s why I tried to talk us out of going but I knew if I mentioned the Doctor you wouldn’t have believed me”

His wife swallowed, guilt filling her eyes warring with the relief that they were alright. “Thank god you listened” was all she said before pulling their boys to her in a tight hug.

Clive smiled at the sight before he looked around the devastation caused. Sending a silent prayer for Astra’s safety he joined the family hug. Thankful that her warning meant he and his family were safe.

~*8*~

The TARDIS materialised on a narrow side street that it had been parked on the first night they met. A small row of kiosks could be seen down one of the connected street with all the shutters pulled down as they had hastily been shut when the plastic started coming to life.

Astra walked out of the TARDIS, straightening out her ragged suit as she did and looked around curiously. Her face caked with a light sheen of sweat and smudges of dirt and grease decorated her face.

The Doctor stood in the doorway of his TARDIS watching her fondly, now that everything was said and done he found himself quite reluctant to part ways with her so soon. He grinned when he saw her turn to face him, “Nestene Consciousness? Easy!” he said with a snap of his fingers.

Astra rolled her eyes with a crooked smile “Sure it was. The fact that we spent the majority of the time held hostage by a couple of shop window dummies and I was the one that knocked the dummy holding the anti-plastic into the vat was absolutely no help what-so-ever” she said sarcasm laying heavily in her voice “Face it. You’d be dead without me there” she teased with a bright smile on her face.

“Yeah” the Doctor said his voice soft as he nodded his head and seemed to come to a decision “yes I would. Thank you. Right then, I’ll er... I’ll be off. Unless... I dunno... You could come with me?” the Doctor asked softly “This box isn’t just a London hopper you know. It goes anywhere. Anywhere in the Universe free of charge”

Astra looked at him for a moment before the Doctor misinterpreted her silence as indecision because he started rambling “What do you think? You could stay here and fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go anywhere. And I could show you, if you’ll come with me”

“Is it always this dangerous?” Astra asked curiously keeping a tight grip on the smile that was threatening to break through.

It seemed she had failed though as the Doctors face immediately broke into a grin “Yeah”

She hummed slightly before the Doctor impatiently asked “Well?” before he seemed to remember something “Oh, did I also mention it travelled in time”

Seeing her eyes light up with delight the Doctor stepped to the side and held the door open for her as she stepped inside. As she passed him she asked “Is it alright if I go home for some of my things and get cleaned up first?”

The Doctor unable to resist grabbed her hand and raced up to central console. His excitement practically a visible aura surrounding him as he practically danced around the console as he began setting everything up ready to go before he remembered something “Where do you live again?” the Doctor asked sheepishly making Astra laugh.

<https://darkrosetales.tumblr.com/post/186912417833/outfits-for-astra>

**Author's Note:**

> AN: I hope you enjoyed the new and improved version of this story, please read and review. DarkRoseTales xo


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